


Under the stars

by charigreentea



Category: Infinity Train (Cartoon)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26257987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charigreentea/pseuds/charigreentea
Summary: After travelling the country to get to know herself and the real world, Lake decided it was finally time to return to the place she truly felt at home, which was in Arizona and with Jesse.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 29





	1. back to arizona

**Author's Note:**

> Lake and Jesse are both 17 and 18 in this!!
> 
> Lake left Arizona after 1 year of staying with Jesse and his family and decided it was time for her to experience the world.  
> She left for 3 years and this is where she reunites with Jesse  
> This is a short story which will wrap up in 4 or 5 chapters! Infinity train is incredible and everyone should watch it!!
> 
> (it's october in this oneshot! Cold but dry so ur still able to stargaze - this will be an important note!)

As Lake looked up at the sky in the city that never sleeps once the glock struck twelve pm, something seemed to switch within her.  
She had spent the last three years travelling the country, meeting all kinds of different people that would help her figure out more about herself, working many different jobs to be able to live and coming to terms with the life she was living now. She had it all. So looking at the sky and seeing all of the different shapes in the clouds, it almost seemed unfair that she was suddenly done with the part of life she had always been hoping for. She was done with experiencing, there was nothing left for her to see that she hasn't seen before. As she saw a deer-like shape in the clouds, all her thoughts were filled with Jesse. It had been awhile since they last talked, since her life had been so busy and exciting. Sitting up from her spot in the grass, Lake looked around and her eyes first landed on a couple sitting on a bench. They laughed while feeding ducks some grapes and eventually kissed. Almost on cue, Lake spit out the words "I'm leaving." Getting up and grabbing her belongings as if she was on autopilot, Lake left her favorite spot in the central park and booked the next flight to Arizona. With luck on her side, she got a ticket for a flight that would leave in three hours. With a smile on her face, Lake got into the next taxi and made her way to the airport.

After five hours of looking out of the window, Lake had finally arrived in Arizona. Once the plane was down and she left the airport, she felt like she was fifteen again. She remembered the way Jesse said goodbye to her at the gate and how sad they had been. Leaving Jesse had been hard, but she wanted to find herself before coming back to him. That very day was then. As she walked past the airport with her bag and a small luggage, Lake kept a smile on her face the whole time while walking to the destination that was Jesse's home. She had made sure to ask his parents if he still lived at home, since she wanted to suprise him. The closer she got to the all too familiar street, the more worrying her thoughts had become. What if he wasn't home? What if he had a girlfriend? A boyfriend? Of course they'd stay best friends, but Lake's feelings for Jesse were way too obvious to her. She loved him in every way and even if he ended up having a partner, Lake would always put his happiness first, even if that meant letting him go. In her time travelling the world, she had dated quite a few people. Some girls, some guys, but it was never serious. She just ended up comparing them to Jesse, but no one ever came close. He was just that special. After overthinking for the whole time walking, Lake looked ahead and finally saw the house she had learned to call home. Smiling brightly, she made her way up to the front door, took all of her strength and knocked on the door. It didn't take longer than fifteen seconds until the door opened and when it did, Lake was met with a matured version of Jesse's face, which turned from neutral to a whole indefinable expression once he realized who was actually standing in front of him.

"Oh my god."

Was all that came out of his mouth before he latched onto Lake and wrapped his arms tightly around her ribcage, his face nuzzled into the soft material of Lake's jacket. Letting her luggage fall back onto the ground, Lake wrapped her arms around Jesse's neck with less strength than Jesse, since she was a little harder than his soft skin. The hug lasted for what felt like an hour, but was probably a few minutes long. Lake shed a few tears, but didn't really care as she felt Jesse's soft hoodie against her face. Once their grip started loosening, Jesse slowly pulled away and put his hands on Lake's cheeks instead, his smile growing the longer he looked at her face. Lake's blush was obvious, but she couldn't care less as she stared into Jesse's face. He still looked so kind and soft. His hair was longer and his face was a little edgier than it used to, but his expression and his clothing style still made him look like the sunshine he always had been. They could be apart for centuries and return with the same love they had left with. After staring at each other and mustering the physical differences in each other's faces, Jesse eventually removed his hands from Lake's cheeks and instead grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his own. "I missed you so much." Lake's heart fluttered. His voice was deeper, puberty must've done a good job on him. She kind of wished she'd been there to make fun of his voice cracks, but that was already too late.

"I missed you too. Are you gonna let me inside or do you want to stay out here forever?"

Jesse grinned and Lake couldn't contain her own by seeing him smile like that. He let her in and closed the door, giving her a moment as she looked around the house and smiled at the corners that were decorated with halloween decor. "Your mom really went all out." Lake said, turning back around to raise her brow at Jesse, who rolled his eyes and smiled smugly. "Yeah, though I'm guessing she thought she might have had a reason to overdo it this year." He teased, indicating that his mom knew about Lake coming back. Lake shrugged and looked up at the ceiling, trying to hide her smile as she continued look around the house while Jesse silently followed her. She eventually got tired and stopped, putting down her things and turning to Jesse with a big smile, even if it had been on her face ever since she walked up to the front door.

"You look good."

She had gathered all of her willpower for that compliment, but it was worth it when she saw Jesse blush and stumble over his words. "I-.. Thank you! I mean.. you look good aswell! You always do, but this is the first time I'm seeing you in person in years so you look extra good, if you know what I mean? I'm just gonna shut up." Lake chuckled, to which Jesse shook his head and smiled, walking up to her and taking her hand, leading her to the couch. "Come on, Lake. I missed my best friend. You need to tell me about everything."


	2. family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lake arrived back in Arizona, she gets to meet her found family again and realizes that this is what she's been looking for all of her life.

It took them quite a while until they had updated each other with their current life situations. Lake learned that Jesse was in college, but was also in break at the moment. He found friends that he can be himself with and luckily for her, he had no partner. Jesse's reaction to Lake's adventures were precious and he had been visibly happy for how well she had managed everything. There was this certain glow within her. The years must have done her pretty good, because her metal skin seemed shinier and her face was so happy and relaxed. It made Jesse happy to think of how happy Lake finally was. After what seemed like hours of talking, the front door opened with Jesse's parents stepping inside the house. Once they saw Lake sitting on the couch, both let their belongings drop to the floor and got up to Lake, hugging her tightly. With sweet words like "You've grown so much!","You look so fresh!" and "We missed you!", Lake could have sworn to start crying immediately. She had never experienced anyone treating her like that until Jesse came into her life. He was the first to make her feel like a person and when Jesse introduced her to his parents four years ago, they took her in as if she had always been part of their family.

Lake and Whittney had always been the bestest of friends, since that woman loved everything about the gothic culture and Lake had learned all about it. Stephan was obviously a little distant, since the two didn't have any shared interests, but he also treated her with so much love and respect. Both of their personalities mixed so well into Jesse's personality and that made Lake love him all the way more. When Jesse's parents finally let her breath, the next person, Nate, already came running into the house. Lake watched him run up to her and almost died at how much he had grown. The last time she saw him was when he was nine, now he was twelve and in middle school. He had hugged her with such force, she almost thought he had dented her skin. Once they all got done with hugging and exchanging their 'I missed you's, they all collectively sat down on the couch and chatted, with Lake leaning against Jesse's chest as they sat comfortably on the couch.

Whilst they were talking, Lake felt a certain feeling in her chest that she hadn't felt in a long time and it made her all the more confident that it had been the right time to return to Arizona. As she looked at every member of the family and felt Jesse's chest rising up and down behind her, Lake felt fulfilled. She felt happy as they laughed and for once in her life, she felt confident by saying that she found her true family. Her chosen family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short short chapter lol


	3. a friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Lake had been gone from Jesse's life, he had made a very special friend that he was sure Lake would like aswell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for this person from a tumblr post, if you know who had the idea, you can gladly put their @ in the comments and I'll happily credit them <3 I thought it would be great for Jesse to have a friend that he could be 100% honest with besides Lake. (also i made them nonbinary because i'm a sucker for representation and i love nonbinary people <3)

It had only been seven pm on that same day. Jesse's parents kept telling Lake to take a break and go to sleep early, but once Nate let a few words of 'The Halloween carnival in town' slip, Lake physically couldn't stand still. Halloween had been her favorite holiday. Any time Tulip looked at her reflection while wearing a crazy outfit, Lake always got so excited. When Jesse realized how much tonight would mean to Lake, even if all he wanted her to do was rest, he couldn't say no. However, it was dark and even if Whittney knew the two could take care of themselves, she insisted on taking a third person with them. Lake had teased Jesse with an "Ha! As if you have a friend that's willing to hang with us!" So with a smug smile directed at Lake and quick taps of his fingers, Jesse had sent his closest friend a message, inviting them to visit the carnival with them. Not even two minutes later, Jesse had the confirmation that his friend was joining them.

As the two got ready, Lake kept asking Jesse questions about his mystery friend, to which Jesse just laughed. "I promise you'll like them."

When the doorbell rang, both Lake and Jesse ran downstairs to meet mystery person first, but Jesse was way quicker than Lake, since he had a visible growth spurt. When Jesse opened the door and Lake stood behind him with both hands on his shoulders, she saw an even taller person with ginger hair and dark brown eyes. Their face was as kind as Jesse's, but it was also obvious that they were slightly older. They looked at Lake and their face immediately lit up. "Oh my god! You're Lake, right? Jesse told me so much about you! It's so nice to meet you!" They said, immediately holding out their hand to shake Lake's. Lake went to stand next to Jesse instead of behind him and shook the person's hand chuckling. "That's me. What about you?" The next two words had not been what Lake had expected, but Jesse's behaviour towards his friend finally made sense.

"I'm Alan."

With big eyes, Lake went to look at Jesse who grinned at her. Their name was Alan and they had ginger hair! Now that Lake started noticing the little details about them, she realized how much they resembled Alan Dracula. They had been the human version of their beloved deer. Before Lake had the chance to point it out, Whittney came to the door and bid them their 'see you later's. Deciding not to minimize Alan's existence by comparing them to a deer, Lake decided to stay quiet and instead get to know who Alan was as a person. Jesse knew what she was doing without words and just went along while his two best friends started walking across the sidewalk, on their way to the carnival.

Once the three had arrived at their destination, Lake lost her mind. Everything was decorated in black and orange colors, with pumpkins sitting everywhere and spider webs hanging from the trees. She decided to walk in front of Jesse and Alan, not wanting to disturb their conversation by being in awe at the place. She eventually turned around to see Jesse smiling at her and spoke excitedly. "This place is amazing! I want to try everything!" And as the supporting friend Jesse was, he nodded to her and let her run off to try out all of the games. Him and Alan had stayed close to her, joining her on certain games or simply just watching her win every single one. Jesse watched Lake with so much love in his eyes, even if he had to carry every present she got from every game she won.

It had been an hour or so when Lake was on one of her last games, her expression clearly concentrated as she tried hitting all of the balloons. Jesse and Alan sat on a bench, facing the game cart Lake was at and sitting in comfortable silence. Eventually, Alan decided to break the silence as they noticed Jesse staring into Lake's direction.

"So.. she's really back, huh?" They asked, careful to watch Jesse's reactions to their wording.

"Yeah. I'm really happy."

Alan let out a breathy laugh out of their nose. They didn't know wether to make fun of Jesse for being so transparent with his feelings or to actually make him talk. When they thought about it, they decided to choose the lesser, since that seemed like the most mature option to take right then. "You should tell her, you know." Almost on cue, Jesse turned to Alan with a raised eyebrow. He seemed confused, yet also defensive and conflicted. "What do you mean?"

Alan rolled their eyes. "I think you should tell her about your feelings. Don't you think you waited long enough?"

Jesse blinked at them and for a moment, Alan was afraid he might try to defend himself and say that he didn't like Lake that way, but they also knew their friend. So when Jesse sighed and turned back to watch Lake play, Alan knew they did the right thing. "I can't... Not today.. I mean, she just got back! I don't want to put all of this unecessary weight onto her when she's as free as she could possibly be." He smiled as he watched Lake win the first round. "I mean, look at her! I've never seen her this happy before. If I tell her I like her and.. she might not feel the same.. I-... She came back to a place that isn't the same as before. I don't want to do that to her. I want her to be comfortable."

Alan blinked, confused at their friends' response. "But, haven't you already liked her before she left?" Jesse stared at them, his lips trying to form words, but only silence came out. Putting a hand on his shoulder, Alan gave him a reassuring smile. „Stop making excuses. If you don‘t do it today, I‘m calling you Dracula for the rest of the year.“ Jesse gasped, staring at Alan with the biggest eyes of betrayal. Of course, Alan knew all about their deer friend. They thought it was funny when they met Jesse, as if fate brought them together like that. „You would not! You wound me, Alan!“ The two laughed, but Jesse was the first to stop when he heard Lake‘s excited scream. He watched her run up to them with a deer plushie under her arm.

“Jesse! Look! The guy wanted to sell me a toad, but I was able to convince him to give me the deer.“ Lake said, proud of her convincing skills. Alan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. „How did you convince him?“ Shrugging, Lake grinned smugly. „I have my ways.“ 

The three laughed and Jesse looked at his two friends. He was glad they were getting along. Alan fit perfectly into their group, even if they were a year older than them. When their laughter died down, Lake stuck the plushie tightly under her arm and grabbed Alan and Jesse‘s hands. „Are you gonna join me in the fun house or what?“ Jesse grinned, whilst Alan shook their head and got up, shortly intimidating Lake with their height again.   
„You guys have fun, I‘m gonna have to leave now, but I‘ll be happy to hear about what you did tomorrow.“ Jesse got up, his hand still in Lake‘s as they looked at Alan with sad eyes. „Are you sure? If it gets too late my parents will probably let you sleep over.“ „Yeah, Alan! Don‘t be a party pooper!“ Lake chimed in, to which Alan chuckled, but shook their head anyways. „Nah, it’s fine. You guys probably have a lot to talk about after these years anyways. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?“ 

Alan sent Jesse a look, to which he deeply blushed and nodded. They both went to hug them goodbye and eventually made their way to the funhouse, their hands still holding the other‘s. It wouldn‘t have been normal for Lake and Jesse to visit the funhouse without Lake breaking something because of her weight or Jesse being lost in the mirror maze. When he saw Lake a thousand times in the mirror maze, his heart fluttered. He couldn‘t get enough of her beauty. Eventually, it had been about ten pm and the people working at the carnival had to tell them they were closing for the day. With more than enough wins, the pair left the carnival and went on a walk, with Jesse‘s heart beating faster by the second. 


	4. stargazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving the carnival, Jesse and Lake go to their favorite place.

While the pair walked in comfortable silence and Jesse‘s house came into view, he started panicking. He didn‘t want to go home yet and go to sleep with Lake in the guest room far away from him. He wanted to spend more time with her. So when he saw his house, he turned to Lake.

„Let‘s go to the lake!“ He said, a little too enthusiastic. Lake raised an eyebrow with a smug smile, but agreed anyways. The lake on the opposite of Jesse‘s street was special to them, because it had been where they finally got off the train together. Lake obviously loved it too, since the whole foundation of her identity came from it. Once they got there, they put all of the plushies on the ground and layed down in the grass next to each other. They looked at the stars and how bright they shined. The best night skies were always in Fall.

As they layed in comfortable silence, Jesse had to think about the past three years. He had come down here every few weekends and wondered if Lake was looking at the same sky. He had missed her so terribly in those three years, no matter the friends he made, no one could compare to Lake. He thought about the time he realized he liked her more than he should, but he pushed those feelings deep down. She was finding herself, living her life and might not come back for years, were all excuses Jesse used to ignore his feelings for Lake. Until Alan came along. Once Jesse met them, he couldn't stop talking about Lake. She was in every conversation and Jesse realized, his feelings were definitely stronger than between normal friends. Alan thankfully never invaded his privacy, as if they knew Jesse had to figure his feelings out on his own. It was just something he had decided to keep secret until Alan made the remark of already having known. 

Same for Lake. When she left Arizona, she already knew she liked him. It was heartwrecking, having to leave Jesse after being with him every day. And even though she had dated people during her time away, no person could come close to how happy and comfortable Jesse made her feel. Which was also the reason she blew everyone off. Lake never ignored her feelings, she just never acted on them. She knew she liked Jesse, but until today it had always been like a thing that was set in her mind and she didn't need to worry about it until it eventually left or.. turned into something bigger. Today, it was different, because he had been there, right next to her and he was single. The possibilities were enormous, but again, their friendship was the main thing on her mind.

"It's beautiful."

It wasn't until Lake said those words that Jesse looked over at her and his heart dropped. She had looked beautiful under the light from the sky. Her face was calm and satisfied. The moon shone so perfectly on her reflective skin and Jesse felt the whole world around him disappear. As if he had been on autopilot, he said the words "Yeah. It is." with no recollection. Lake did a double take at his face when she realized he was looking at her with the softest smile she had ever seen him with. It was similar to the smile he gave her once they left the train, but this time there was so much behind his eyes and Lake didn't even know what to think. She chuckled, awkwardly raising her eyebrows. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Jesse's soft smile left his lips after she said those words. His heart got hot and the butterflies in his stomach started flying around with the fastest speed. This was it, he thought. This was the moment he had been waiting for three years. This was the moment Alan had braced him before just an hour ago. This was the moment he denied but craved so badly. Sitting up, Jesse continued to stare at Lake as he tried to keep his cool. He noticed her sit up aswell with a confused and worried expression and it drove him crazy. He slowly reached his hand in the direction of Lake's face, making sure to watch her reaction.

"Lake, can.. can I?"

Lake was now staring at him with the biggest eyes. She knew what was happening. She knew where this was going and just as Jesse started to doubt the moment, Lake whispered out a raspy "Yes." Jesse put his hand on Lake's cheek, his thumb right before her ear and the other four on the back of it. Sure, he had already held her like this before, but looking her in the eyes while doing it and knowing what the next step was going to be horrified him. He took his time, carefully switching from looking into her eyes and to her lips. Both of their chests rose up and down at a steady rate. Taking all of his willpower, Jesse started leaning forward and felt Lake doing the same. They both looked at each other's lips and when they were just inches away, Jesse stopped for a second to give Lake the chance to say something or to stop him, but when she didn't, he pulled her in and kissed her.

It was a sweet and soft kiss. The kind of kiss that makes you feel fuzzy and warm inside. The typical description of how the first kiss with the right person feels like. It didn't last longer than seven seconds and when they pulled away, both cheeks flushed, they looked at each other with both of their eyes shining. There had been sparkles in Lake's eyes and Jesse thought he might pass out at any second. Jesse pulled his hand away, his lips already forming the letter 'S' from possibly apologizing, but before he had the chance to, Lake wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. Jesse kissed back immediately, putting his hand on Lake's lower back while they deepened their kiss. That kiss lasted longer, about ten seconds longer than the one from before. What both of them were feeling was indescribable as all they've wanted to do for the past four years was exactly what had been happening at that moment. 

When they pulled away, their faces were decorated with the biggest smiles they had ever seen from each other. As they admired each other so close and personal, Lake wandered with her fingers through Jesse's hair and loved how soft it felt. Some people would have felt awkward sitting in such a long silence after having kissed for the first time, but Lake and Jesse felt so comfortable with each other. They could just sit and stare at each other all day long and people could watch them and call them weird, but they'd be so happy. After admiring each other, Lake eventually went to lay against Jesse's shoulder, never using her full weight since she still wanted to let him breathe. He realized what she was doing and even though he was grateful for her being so considerate, he nudged her to let her relax. As they watched the lake sparkle in the moonlight, the pair decided words weren't necessary for that night. All they needed was each other's presence and that's it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jesse drinks respect woman juice and always asks for consent
> 
> also i think i might have messed up the years soooo pls ignore that
> 
> one more chapter!


	5. in the morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lake has an awkward encounter the morning after.

The next morning, Lake awoke in Jesse‘s arms. She smiled up at him, remembering the events from the previous night. After they kissed, they went back home and Jesse invited Lake to sleep in his bed. It wasn‘t the first time they slept together in one bed, but because of what happened, it was special. It had been the best sleep of Lake‘s life, being curled up in Jesse‘s arms as he continuously kissed every part of her face until they fell asleep. It was bittersweet. 

She took her time waking up, staring at the boy‘s gorgeous features while he continued sleeping. When she was finally awake, Lake kissed Jesse‘s nose and slowly crept away from him. If he knew what she was doing, he clearly didn‘t care as he let out a snore and turned around. Lake looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Obviously, her pajamas weren‘t really flattering, but she felt warm and cuddly, even if her skin was cold and hard. Out of habit that used to be a joke, she stuck her non existing hair behind her ear and went to the door of Jesse‘s room, opening it silently to not disturb Jesse. She closed the door behind her and when she turned to look ahead, Whittney was standing right in front of her, holding a laundry basket and staring at her with gigantic eyes.

As the two stared at each other in complete silence and Lake thought, this was the most awkward thing ever, she eventually cleared her throat and smiled nervously. „Good morning.“ Whittney looked her up and down and Lake‘s fear of what would come next grew by the second, but eventually the woman began grinning. „Good morning to you too, Lake. Had a nice night?“ The question had absolutely no intent behind it, it was simply a question, but of course Whittney had been aware that this ‚sleepover‘ was not the normal sleepover they used to have four years ago. 

Lake looked down at her hands and nodded. „Very much so, thank you for asking.“ And if it hadn‘t been obvious, even if Lake truly had been scared of Whittney‘s reaction, both suddenly started giggling and completely afiliated the awkward situation. Putting down the laundry basket, Whittney went and hugged Lake. „I was hoping you two would eventually end up together.“ Slightly blushing, Lake hugged back and smiled. She knew Whittney would be supporting. After pulling away, she winked at the girl and wrapped an arm around her, something that Jesse also does.

„I‘m going to make heart shaped waffels today, you wanna join me?“ 

Lake smiled even bigger and nodded.

„I‘d love to.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it !! thank you guys for reading my short story, it truly made my days 10x better. If you have any requests on other stories, feel free to let me know !!
> 
> (also this is pure fluff if you think anything besides cuddling happened while they slept i want you to stand in the corner and think about your life choices)


End file.
